Internet spreads the word of stolen Chichester mini

Trevor Humphreys, whose Mini was stolen in May and has offered a reward for its return

Published:07:00Tuesday 11 June 2013

THE FIGHT is on to reclaim an original Mini that was stolen in the middle of a restoration.

Trevor Humphreys, a firefighter based in Chichester, said he would be ‘over the moon’ if the car could be recovered.

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He has been spreading word of its theft all over the internet in a bid to get the Mini back.

“It’s sentimental value,” he said.

“It used to belong to a great aunt of mine who passed away about eight years ago.” The blue car had sat in a garage at Trevor’s home in Bracklesham Bay until recently, when he decided to get it made roadworthy for his son to learn to drive in.

It was being worked on at DC Performance in Shopwyke Road, when it was stolen between 4pm on Friday, May 17, and 9am the following day.

Since then Trevor has posted pictures of the Mini and more information on Facebook pages of various Mini-owners’ clubs, including Sussex, Brighton, London and Surrey, which in turn have shared it with their viewers and news of its theft has spread around the country.

“It’s getting shared more and more, I understand,” said Trevor.

“It could be anywhere, I know, but I’m making it as hard as possible for them to move it.

“If it becomes a hot vehicle, they might let it go.”

The car had only 18,000 miles on the clock and restoration work was almost complete.

It had one wheel removed at the time of the theft, which Trevor presumes means it was stolen with the use of another vehicle.

He was camping in Graffham when he got the call to say the thieves had struck.

Trevor has not given up hope of recovering the Mini.

“I would be over the moon if it’s still in a reasonable condition,” he said.

He has offered a £500 reward for information that leads to the recovery of the Mini and conviction of those who stole it.

The vehicle’s registration number is K443 RNR and it is a 1992 registration.

It had a silver badge on one side and the number plate was etched on all the windows.